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SALT LAKE CITY -- Interest in the program has been growing since it was announced.
Best Buy sales supervisor Thomas Guzman says, "Customers are coming in wanting to know what qualifies, what does not qualify and what the dollar amount is on the actual rebate itself."
Guzman says Best Buy has an idea of which products will qualify for the state rebate, but it's waiting on an official list from the state.
"I know we have a few washers and dryers specifically from Samsung and LG," he says.
Guzman says some customers are asking whether or not an Energy Star rated television would qualify. The answer: no. State officials say the list of qualifying appliances is actually pretty short.
- Clothes washers
- Gas storage water heaters
- Tankless water heaters
- Room air conditioners
- Gas furnaces
Not every Energy Star rated appliance in these categories would qualify, either. The rebate would only come with the appliances that reach the highest rating within the Energy Star system. Are there any ways you could tell which appliance might qualify for the rebate? There is one way. Utah State Energy Program Incentives Coordinator Chris Tallackson says the appliances they choose will also come with rebates from utility companies like Questar or Rocky Mountain Power.
"We've intentionally chosen products that have existing utility rebates so we magnify the impact of our program," Tallackson says.
Tallackson says the program will most likely be launched in April but can't confirm an exact start date yet. There are still a few things they need to finish first.
"Part of our preparation for launching this program is training retailers to be knowledgeable and to help people make the right choice to participate in the rebate if it's the right product selection for them," he explained.
The state expects between 15, 000 to 19,000 transactions during the six to eight month program. Tallackson says that's beyond the state's capacity to maintain, so it's in final negotiations with a third-party contractor to oversee the program. Utah will have more than $2.3 million worth of rebates to distribute in all.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
